Yeah, it was funny because I saw this frame outside of a geeked out bike shop in NYC, so I'm just assuming that someone brought it in for a repair and couldn't pay the fee or something. They just didn't have the time of day to fix it up or sell it.
I'm thinking with what I've read so far either:
A) Leave it alone and let the ****ty paint job ward off thieves or
B) Just sand and repaint
It is going to be a commuter bike, not a hard racer or anything so I don't think frame flex will be an issue. But it is for my girlfriend and she would probably appreciate the asthetic value of some new paint.
BTW, does your Vitus 979 have a wishbone-shaped steat-stay? This one does. I have no idea what model it is.